518 ZOOLOGY. 



[In the Fish collection of the Peabody Academy of Science 

 there are examples of both of the above mentioned albinos. The 

 haddock, agreeing with the description given by Prof. Goode, was 

 taken off Newburyport some years ago, and sent to the Museum 

 by Mr. Johnson of that place. The "white" eel was collected 

 under the following peculiar circumstances : During the severe 

 gale of Nov. 7, 1865, in Mass. Bay, a small Cyclopterus (lump 

 fish) and the eel were washed aboard the schooner "Hero," Capt. 

 Small, who found them on his deck after the gale and brought 

 them to the Museum on his arrival at Salem the next day. — F. 

 W. P.] 



Chloral as a Preservative. — As it is very desirable that a 

 substitute for alcohol be found for the purpose of preserving spec- 

 imens, we cop} 7 the following from the New York "Tribune," trust- 

 ing that trials of the experiment will be reported. 



The "Philadelphia American Times" contains an article by Dr. 

 W.W. Keen upon the anatomical, pathological, and surgical uses of 

 chloral, in which he recommends this substance very strongly for 

 the preservation of objects of comparative anatomy and natural 

 history. It is used Irv injection into the blood vessels, or by im- 

 mersion, and in his opinion it is likely to supersede many of the 

 preparations now in use. Its special advantage is that the color 

 of the object is preserved perfectly, and all the parts have a nat- 

 ural consistency, while there is nothing either poisonous or corro- 

 sive to affect the general health of the experimenter or to injure 

 instruments. 



For preserving a subject for dissection, half a lb. of chloral will 

 suffice at a cost of a dollar or less. A solution for preserving 

 specimens of natural histoiy of ten or twelve grains to the ounce 

 of water is quite sufficient, is much cheaper than alcohol, and the 

 bottles instead of being hermetically sealed are closed by glass 

 stoppers, or even ordinary corks. Dr. Keen has thus kept pus 

 from various substances, and diseased growths of various kinds of 

 other specimens for months, and found no change whatever in their 

 character. Chloral is extremely antagonistic to fungi and infuso- 

 ria, a very weak solution of it killing them instantly. 



The deodorizing as well as the antiseptic properties of chloral 

 are equal in Dr. Keen's opinion to those of an}' substance now 

 known. 



